Tuesday, June 26, 2007

I quite like eBay. The beast has evolved over the past few years into something a bit unwieldy, but on the whole, it's still a useful site, and allows me to sell old crap, and buy new old crap.

Two things that piss me off...

1. Feedback. The "community spirit" thing... If I am buying something from you, and I win the auction, and send the payment... This is when you should leave me feedback. I have completed my side of the transaction. None of this waiting around until several weeks after I have received the item, left you feedback (positive, unless you're a cunt) and emailed you half a dozen times reminding you that I have left feedback for you and you should do the same for me. It's not fucking rocket surgery. I buy shit, I pay for shit, you post and leave feedback. I receive shit, I leave feedback for you. That's how it's meant to work. No retaliatory feedback for stuff improperly packed. No retaliatory feedback because you took a month and a half to send the item.

2. Cunts who take your money and run. That has only happened to me once. Some shop in Englandshire, which went out of business, cashed my cheque and buggered off... However, it was a relatively small amount of money, and a long time ago. Shooting is too good for some people.

Anyway, I wonder how many days it will be before buggerlugs leaves me feedback for the book I bought...

Saturday, June 16, 2007

"The dictates of political correctness are strict and only one permitted truth, not for the first time in human history, is imposed on us. Everything else is denounced."

The quasi-religious fervour with which climate change sceptics are told they are evil, and equated with holocaust deniers speak volumes - the same way that we are told that AGW *is* happening, and that the debate is over, when, in fact, it is not.

"The environmentalists ask for immediate political action because they do not believe in the long-term positive impact of economic growth and ignore both the technological progress that future generations will undoubtedly enjoy, and the proven fact that the higher the wealth of society, the higher is the quality of the environment. They are Malthusian pessimists."

Would that be because they are a bunch of socialists, disillusioned with the progress the world is making? They are grasping at the last chance to render all people equal, and equally miserable?

"As someone who lived under communism for most of his life, I feel obliged to say that I see the biggest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and prosperity now in ambitious environmentalism, not in communism. This ideology wants to replace the free and spontaneous evolution of mankind by a sort of central (now global) planning."

Interesting that the president of the Czech Republic makes this observation - I should think he knows more about the troubles of Communism than most of the environmentalists who are trying to herd us towards it.

As a witness to today’s worldwide debate on climate change, I suggest the following:■Small climate changes do not demand far-reaching restrictive measures■Any suppression of freedom and democracy should be avoided■Instead of organising people from above, let us allow everyone to live as he wants■Let us resist the politicisation of science and oppose the term “scientific consensus”, which is always achieved only by a loud minority, never by a silent majority■Instead of speaking about “the environment”, let us be attentive to it in our personal behaviour■Let us be humble but confident in the spontaneous evolution of human society. Let us trust its rationality and not try to slow it down or divert it in any direction■Let us not scare ourselves with catastrophic forecasts, or use them to defend and promote irrational interventions in human lives.

I can hear the "but the changes will get worse" already from the doom-sayers. The "the greater good" and "think of the children" and the all time favourite, "something must be done"!

The politicisation of science has been talked about many times before - science is about what is actually happening, and when so much is being discovered about what is happening to the climate and why, what sense does it make to flap about in the hope that something we do now might prevent something later... What if by preventing something later we're actually doing even more harm to our environment? There is still a lot of noise that hasn't been suppressed by the environMENTALISTS over CO2 - does CO2 follow temperature rise?

Instead of speaking about the environment, we should be attentive to it in our daily lives - reminds me of older relatives telling me not to leave a light "burning" when I am not using it - sensible things that save money... Speaking of such things, George Moonbat has apparently bought himself a car, after however many years of preaching about cars being evil. Yet another do as I say, not as I do.

Thursday, June 07, 2007

The BBC reported someone was toying with jumping off North Bridge last week.

Today, some cunt is standing on the edge of the parapet on the bridge, shortly before 6. At least the previous attention seeking, non-committal waste of space had the decency to threaten to jump outside of rush hour... The guy tonight was loitering, making a fucking nuisance of himself for hours, in rush hour traffic.

Clearly, not committed to his cause, he should have either been forcibly removed, or shot. Too many people have their lives interrupted by these "cry for help" sorts. You're either going to jump, or you're not. Even a taxi driver told me about a time where a guy leapt over the side of the bridge in front of him... No fuss, just jumped.

Too many people are being pandered to - they are either going to jump or they are not. Let them get on with it, and if they don't get it over with in 5 minutes or less, let a crowd of angry commuters who have just had their day fucked up start to heckle them. That should stiffen their resolve.

Alternatively, don't pick a prime location in the city centre to cry for help. We don't give a fuck. We have our own problems to deal with, and we don't deal with them by inflicting them on an entire city.

"There are also a number of new committees, including transport, infrastructure and climate change, which will be led by Patrick Harvie, the Green MSP. As a fierce critic of new road-building projects and an advocate of public transport, Mr Harvie is a controversial choice."

Which is all very well and good, Mr barely elected green nobody... How do you advocate public transport when it is regularly delayed and cancelled - like the Fife Circle train service this morning?

Why do we let these layabouts meddle with our affairs? Can't they get real jobs?

The BBC tells us they have pay envy comparing themselves to the Glaswegian traffic bastards. Strike all you like. We'll not stop you. I don't even have a car, and yet I detest these smug space invaders who wander the streets spreading their ordure on cars. Same with every other job - you're not being forced to work at that pay, get a job you like you whining cunts.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

The Hootsman has a piece on Faslane hippies - apparently the locals are sick of the disruption, and the recent blockades which delayed kids getting to exams was apparently the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Members of the Peninsula 24 Seven group believe the demonstrators are breaching the Human Rights Act by denying their children their right to education."

That's really quite funny.

"The protesters, who glue or chain themselves to the road outside the naval base, bring traffic to a halt and affect hundreds of residents en route to work in Helensburgh and Glasgow."

According to the BBC, the EU's carbon trading scheme is failing... It's increasing electricity bills and not actually reducing carbon output...

Now could this be because it was a fucking stupid idea to begin with?

Apparently they'll continue to plod on with it though...

But the Minister for Climate Change, Ian Pearson, told File on 4 that the carbon trading scheme has been an administrative success yet concedes there have been problems in the first three year phase to the end of 2007.

"If you are saying to me it hasn't achieved a massive amount so far when it comes to CO2 reductions, well I agree with you and I think Phase Two will be a big, big improvement...and a key instrument in helping us all to achieve our carbon reduction targets across Europe."

Well, he would say it was a success, since it's keeping him in a job, isn't it?

Isn't repeating something, getting one result but continually expecting another a sign of insanity? But then, we are talking about a politician...

Ah yes, First Scotrail, who once again show us that they couldn't organise a shag in a brothel.

Apparently First Scotrail say "We're shit, but at least we're better than other regional operators" according to the BBC article...

This comes in the month when I am due to replace my annual rail ticket on the woeful Fife Circle line, and ask myself why I bother. No doubt I will rant again when the ticket price increases versus the discount they apply for not running their services on time (or at all) wipes out the 5% off....

I may rant about the trains being crap, but hey, it could be worse, I could have a car in Edinburgh. Bah.